Fitness, Health and Wellness

Why CrossFit? CrossFit is defined as; constantly varied, functional movements performed at high intensity. What this essentially means is that a CrossFit program helps to build strength and conditioning through extremely varied and challenging workouts. Each WOD (Workout of the Day), tests a different part of your functional strength or conditioning, with the aim of building a body that is practically capable of anything and everything. Originally the principal strength and conditioning program for police academies and tactical operations teams, CrossFit has now gained widespread popularity in gyms all around the world. The main reason being that the CrossFit's program is designed for universal scalability This  means that any individual, regardless of their experience or ability, can participate in the sport. Post WOD Muscle Soreness This is not to be mistaken for the immediate soreness that might be experienced as a result of injury from a workout.   We experience post-workout soreness, or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)  when we perform workouts at a higher intensity or perform a new or unaccustomed exercise. With CrossFit workouts being constantly varied, DOMS is inevitable.  If you read our article, ‘Easy & Effective Ways to Reduce Muscle Soreness After a Workout’, you will learn in more detail about what causes Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). If you are a CrossFit newbie, CrossFit beginner soreness can discourage you  from getting back into the box again. Knowing the most effective CrossFit post workout recovery techniques can help reduce pain, decrease recovery time, and get you back in the gym quicker. CrossFit Soreness Recovery The faster we recover, the more we can get out of our training and the more progress we make. In this article, we’ll discuss the best recovery for CrossFit and make sure your Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness doesn’t keep you from reaching your fitness goals. 1. Proper Nutrition When you exercise, this results in microscopic tears that occur in your muscle fibers. Your muscles then repair themselves thicker than before, resulting in muscle growth and strength. Proper nutrition is an essential step in the process of CrossFit muscle recovery. It helps repair  those damaged muscle fibers, allowing you to heal faster and become stronger than before. An intense exercise regimen such as CrossFit burns up a lot of carbohydrates. Therefore, efficient recovery requires reloading protein & carbohydrates, as well as some other micronutrients such as electrolytes and of course water. Protein: Getting adequate protein is essential for the repair of cells that have been damaged during intense training Carbohydrates: Training at a high intensity also depletes your glycogen stores at a rapid rate Vitamins & Minerals: These are essential for the proper functioning of our cells & muscles. Ensuring that you eat a balanced and healthy diet that ensures the greater needs of repairing your cells are met Hydration: During exercise, you tend to lose a lot of water. Since water is the main constituent of blood, this means that poor hydration results in reduced blood volume. Good hydration will contribute to the repair and regrowth of your cells. If you are serious about your training, nutrition is something that should be given utmost importance. If you feel your diet is not giving you enough nutrients for your body to recover, it might be worth considering a CrossFit recovery shake and CrossFit recovery supplements that have these nutritional elements covered. 2. Active Recovery A CrossFit active recovery session is performing low-intensity workouts and less volume than usual, typically between 30-50 percent less. The workout should increase blood flow to the muscles and help to restore proper movement patterns and muscle function which is hindered due to muscle soreness. Here’s a CrossFit endurance recovery WOD for you to try: Warm Up Foam Roll for 5 minutes Perform light, dynamic stretches for 5 minutes Workout: Row for 20 minutes at a comfortable pace (50-70% heart rate max) 3. SPRYNG Active Compression solution With the growth of popularity of CrossFit, there are many CrossFit leg recovery systems appearing in the market but reserved for only elite & top-level athletes. SPRYNG’s Active Compression calf sleeves are ideal for the everyday CrossFit athlete, being more affordable and convenient than other CrossFit muscle recovery machines available out there. The idea behind compression therapy is that by increasing blood flow to specific parts of the body. This  encourages your body to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to those areas and speed up recovery, thereby relieving pain and improving athletic performance.  

What Causes Muscle Soreness After a Workout? We all have heard the saying “no pain, no gain”!  Anyone who has  started  out a new or more intense training program can attest that the days following the  workout can certainly be painful. This is called muscles soreness, also known as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). For those of you who have ever wondered, ‘why do my legs hurt when I exercise?’; it’s most likely your Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is creeping in on you. Strength training exercises have two phases: the concentric, and the eccentric. The concentric phase occurs when you contract your muscles, whereas the eccentric phase is characterized by the lengthening of your muscles, when you return the weight back to its resting position. The eccentric phase of your workout plays a significant role in muscle soreness.  This phase is where your muscles are working the hardest and this process creates small microscopic tears in your muscle fibers. Yes, this sounds daunting! However, there is light at the end of the tunnel when it coms toall this talk about muscle pain after workout. Following the muscle tears that occurs after a high intensity or unaccustomed exercise, your muscles begin the process of repairing themselves. The new muscle cells are more resistant than the ones that were there previously. As a result, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is responsible for making your muscles bigger and stronger than before. How Long is Muscle Soreness Supposed to Last? Muscle soreness experienced after a workout usually starts within 24 hours of the activity performed. The pain you experience can last for as long as three days to a week, depending on the degree of muscle damage and how accustomed you might be to the exercise performed. Someone experiencing Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness for the first time versus someone who has been working out regularly will react very differently.  How to Ease the Dreaded DOMS Whether you're an occasional runner, a cyclist or a CrossFit addict, you should consider recovery an essential part of your routine.  There is no proven formula to prevent Delayed Onset Muscle soreness from occurring. Fortunately there are a few tried and tested treatments to help alleviate the pain and speed up the recovery process. Here’s a list on how to reduce soreness after workout:  Foam Rolling During the muscle repair process, your muscles and fascia, the connective tissue that runs throughout the body, becomes knotted, adding to the discomfort of your Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Foam rolling helps remove those knots and prevent muscle imbalances from forming. Foam rolling after your workout will also help to increase the blood flow to your tissues, speeding up your recovery time. Take a Rest Day During a bout of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, your exercise potential will not be at its peak. While sore, don't expect to set any personal records;  give your body time to recover and rebuild itself. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness usually affects only the body parts that were worked; so, you can  workout the other muscle groups while letting the fatigued ones recover. Active Recovery Active recovery means low-intensity and low-impact exercise that stimulates blood flow and tissue repair without further stressing the body. A low-intensity cardiovascular activity such as a swim or even a gentle yoga practice to stretch out your tired muscles are good examples of Active Recovery. SPRYNG Active Compression Solution SPRYNG™ Active Compression is a device that that uses pneumatic compression to aid blood circulation and is bound to help with Delayed Onset Muscle soreness. SPRYNG can also help aid faster recovery after strenuous exercise by promoting a heightened rate of lactic acid flush out, so you can feel brand new and energized for your next work out. 

Have you ever done a strenuous workout and felt muscle pains the following morning? Chances are that you are suffering from Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). Don’t worry though, it is an indication that you have done the workout right! Unfortunately, this pain can get a bit unbearable and may impede your daily activity. The good news is that there are several ways you can suppress this pain, and maybe even avoid it altogether! What is Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness? Simply put, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness is the muscle pain you experience after doing a tiring workout. This normally settles in 24-48 hours after your high-intensity workout. Previously, it was thought that the pain is a result of lactic build-up. However, studies have found that DOMS occurs due to small muscle tears repairing itself after the workout. What Causes Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness? High-intensity workouts, especially workouts that consist of eccentric workouts, cause DOMS. This is because eccentric workouts require you to tense the muscle while lengthening it at the same time. To make it easy to understand, think of yourself on a downhill run. Because of the slope, your quads will be lengthened and tense up with every stride. Therefore, it is the most worked muscle group in this particular workout. This is typically how delayed onset muscle soreness while running occurs. Just like a downhill run, different workouts would affect other muscle groups differently. Symptoms of Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Detecting the symptoms of DOMS is relatively easy. The most obvious ones are; Muscle fatigue Stiffness and reduced motion because of pain Swelling Tender muscles Temporary loss of strength As mentioned earlier, these symptoms can often be noticed 12-24 hours after the workout. These symptoms can last for up to three days, depending on how intense the workout was, or how you treat it and focus on recovery. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Treatment What helps reduce Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness? The good thing is that DOMS is easily treatable. Of course, the pain can sometimes be a bit too much to bear, but there are several home remedies for that. Massage This is one of the easiest remedies out there. A massage after an intense workout, especially in the muscle group that was most stressed, helps ease DOMS. According to several studies conducted on athletes[i], it was identified that athletes who received a massage between 24-72 hours after a workout experienced less soreness. However, receiving a massage soon after a workout can be quite difficult, time consuming and at times costly. This is where a muscle recovery tool like SPRYNG really comes to use; specially after a heavy leg day or a long run. SPRYNG provides active compression that can be used in varying levels of intensity. It also has the option of two compression patterns that are  designed to help eliminate any soreness on your legs. Your calves will thank you for this afterward! Cold Baths This is a remedy used by elite athletes. Getting into cold baths can be very difficult, but is an effective way of reducing soreness. It has been found that a 10-15-minute dip in cold water (around 50-59°F) reduces the inflammation of the muscles[ii], thereby, reducing DOMS as well. Anti-inflammatory Ointments and Gels These topical applications are a good way to relieve the pain in the area that is sore. Just make sure you follow the instructions of the packaging. Better yet, get a second opinion from a physician before application, just to make sure.  How to Avoid Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness Avoiding DOMS completely is an impossible task. However, there are ways to reduce the intensity of the soreness. Here are some simple ways; Correct warmup – Always make sure you do a thorough warm-up with dynamic stretching. This helps prepare the muscles for an intense workout. One step at a time – Don’t rush your workouts. Do workouts at an intensity that suits you. It is alright if others are doing particular exercises faster. Even elites started from scratch. Cool down – Just like your warm-up, your muscles need a bit of stretching to flush out the excess lactic acid. Moreover, this also helps the muscles to stay loose. Hydrate – Drink water and consume electrolytes, so your muscles have fuel to function even after the workout. Vulnerable Individuals Athletes of many disciplines experience DOMS, regardless of them being an elite or an amateur. The most common are; Track and field athletes Cyclists CrossFit athletes Swimmers Football players Soccer players Winter sports athletes (skiers, snowboarders, speed skaters, figure skaters, etc.)   [i] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2017.00747/full [ii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4802003/      

Whether you’re working out to get into better shape or get stronger and leaner, we can’t stress enough on the positive benefits it can have on your overall wellbeing. Exercise helps us to balance our hormones, improve our mood, boost energy, and reduce the stress in our body and mind.

What causes leg pain at night? Why do my legs hurt at night? a question that some of us have asked at some point. If you are bothered by pain in your legs at night and want to find out what you can do to get some relief, you have come to the right place. Before we answer your question why do my legs ache in bed, let us first explore some of the common types of leg pain that most us of experience? Exercise-related soreness Exercise-related muscle soreness, also known as DOMS, typically occurs a day or two after exercise and can affect anyone, regardless of how fit you are. It can be experienced when you start a new exercise program, change up your exercises, or increase the length or intensity of your usual workout. The reason your muscles feel this way is due to the microscopic tears to your muscle fibres when you work out. Once you tear tissue, an inflammatory response occurs, which means swelling, pain, and soreness is experienced. But, don't be put off. While DOMS can be an unpleasant feeling, keep in mind that this is completely normal and an indication that your level of fitness is improving. If you’re wondering why do my calves hurt at night it is probably because you are more aware of the feeling once you relax and unwind from your day’s activities. Leg Cramps Leg cramps are sudden, involuntary, intense muscle pains that occur in your calf, foot, or thigh. It usually happens at night when you’re less active, or while you are asleep. They are uncomfortable, and they may wake you up and leave you feeling sore all night. Leg cramps can happen for many reasons, including poor blood circulation around your extremities such as your legs.   Restless Leg Syndrome Restless leg syndrome is a common cause of painful legs at night. Poor venous circulation of the legs, such as with varicose veins, can be one of the causes of restless leg syndrome. The leg pain of restless leg syndrome eases with motion of the legs and becomes more noticeable at rest. That’s why most people experience a worsening of symptoms and leg pain during the early evening or later at night. Home remedies to provide relief Now that we know the “why”, let us explore some leg pain at night home remedies to ease your leg pain and get some relief. Take a relaxing bath A warm bath can help you wind down and set the stage for a restful night. It’s a useful remedy to help reduce leg pain and helps ease the symptoms of RLS. Warmth helps to relax your muscles and prevents spasms & twitching. SPRYNG’s active compression solution Driven by its unique Wavetec™ compression pattern, the device helps to improve blood circulation through graduated compression of the calf muscle to accelerate healing and recovery with just 15 minutes of use. It is clinically proven to help relieve pain, reduce swelling, improve circulation, speed up recovery, and improve performance. If you were wondering how can I stop my legs from hurting at night, SPRYNG’s active compression solution is worth a try. SPRYNG™ is completely wireless, USB rechargeable, and compact enough to store in your gym bag or take with you on the go so you can experience recovery anywhere, any time. The wavetec™ compression pattern effectively mimics your skeletal muscle pump to help enhance your body’s natural circulatory flow. This means you get safe, powerful, and effective active compression that compliments your body’s natural rhythm. Stretching Another pain in legs at night home remedy is stretching. It is very effective for those night-time leg cramps. If the cramp is in your calf, straighten your leg, flex your foot so that your toes are pointing towards you.  

Many workers experience leg pain when their job requires them to be on their feet for a long time. The symptoms that arise from prolonged standing can become worse when you can’t move around much or when you wear unsuitable footwear. If prolonged standing is designed into your job, this can cause a considerable amount of pain, discomfort and swelling in your legs. If you’re a healthcare worker or work in the hospitality industry, lower leg pain from standing too long is probably something you experience on the daily and can take a significant toll on the body. The good news is that there are several things you can do to reduce calf pain from standing on feet all day. Before we dive into that, lets us answer the burning question we all have on our minds, “why do my legs hurt after work?”. Why do my legs hurt after work?  By the end of a long day of standing at work, you probably feel aches and pains from your feet all the way up to your spine. It could be nurse leg pain, waitress leg pain, or anyone’s leg pain for that matter! The most reported symptoms from extended periods of standing are discomfort, fatigue and swelling in the legs. If you wondered what causes tired legs, it's because your leg muscles are activated and working hard to keep you in an upright, standing position. This combined with minimal movement, and rest may result in your joints becoming temporarily ‘stuck’. For healthcare professionals, and those who work in the hospitality industry, repeated days of prolonged standing will result in muscles getting tired. This could, in the long term, lead to eventually having soft tissue injuries. Another factor that contributes to the pain from standing for too long is leg swelling. This happens because standing reduces blood flow and stops the normal ‘skeletal muscle pump’ in your calves that returns blood from the feet and legs to the heart.  Fluids do not move unless your leg muscles contract. When there is no leg muscle contraction, fluid buildup occurs, and veins get inflamed. People who stand for long periods of time are also prone to varicose veins Those with a family history of vein disease are even more at risk.  This is when veins in the lower extremities tend to swell and stay filled with blood, especially when standing.  In such instances, the heart must work even harder to pump the blood back up towards the thoracic cavity-fighting gravity the entire time. JOIN SPRYNG’S NEWSLETTER Signup now for an additional 10% off your next order! Plus, get our top content delivered to your inbox weekly. What to do for tired achy legs Now that we’ve determined what causes tired legs, we can explore some home remedies for sore leg muscles. If you’ve been wondering how to relieve sore leg muscles, we have a few tips and tricks to share with you. Wear appropriate footwear If you plan on standing for hours at a stretch, ditch the high heels, sandals & unsupportive flats. Choose comfortable footwear that supports your feet. For added comfort, we recommend wearing insoles to provide extra cushioning. Strength Building Practicing yoga can help you maintain a better posture, as well as loosen and strengthen the muscles of the entire body. SPRYNG Active Compression Solution SPRYNG is an untethered, active compression therapy solution which can be used while on the job, when you are commuting to work, or even at home. Remember that skeletal muscle pump in your calves we spoke about earlier? SPRYNG mimics muscle pump to rejuvenate your tired legs while standing. Whether your leg pain, associated from standing for too long, is a result of work or play, it's important to keep your legs healthy and comfortable. While leg pain has many causes and symptoms that overlap if the pain persists or worsens, do visit a doctor to obtain timely intervention.